The subject matter disclosed herein relates to semiconductor devices and, more specifically, to electrical termination of devices utilizing wide bandgap semiconductors (e.g., silicon carbide (SiC) or gallium nitride (GaN)).
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Power electronics systems are widely used throughout modern electrical systems to convert electrical power from one form to another form for consumption by a load. Many power electronics systems utilize various semiconductor devices and components, such as thyristors, diodes, and various types of transistors (e.g., metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFETs), junction gate field-effect transistor (JFETs), insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), and other suitable transistors), in this power conversion process. Specifically for high-voltage and/or high-current applications, devices utilizing wide bandgap semiconductors (e.g., silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) devices) have a number of advantages in terms of temperature stability, reduced ON-resistance, and thinner device dimensions than corresponding silicon (Si) devices. Accordingly, wide bandgap semiconductor devices offer advantages to electrical conversion applications including, for example, power distribution systems (e.g., in electrical grids), power generation systems (e.g., in solar and wind converters), as well as consumer goods (e.g., electric vehicles, appliances, power supplies, etc.). However, the differences between SiC/GaN and Si devices, for example, can cause certain solutions (e.g., device designs and/or manufacturing processes) that work well for Si devices to be unsuitable for corresponding wide-bandgap semiconductor devices. Accordingly, in addition to their benefits, wide-bandgap semiconductor devices also present challenges during device design and fabrication.